A Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss may have taken the top result at RM Sotheby’s inaugural Tegernsee auction, held during the Concours of Elegance Germany, but it was another Mercedes-Benz-related machine that provided the biggest estimate-busting result of a fairly ‘as predicted’ sale.
Of the 31 lots offered on the day (a Porsche 550 Spyder was withdrawn prior to the sale), ten failed to find a home, most notably a brace of modern Bugattis. The great majority of lots finished just inside their lower estimate with fees applied. However, it is the HWA Evo that prompted the biggest surprise.
Just before the sale, it was revealed the Mercedes-Benz was plotting a takeover of HWA AG’s customer motor sport side. As reported here, AMG ‘fully approves’ of the HWA Evo revival – so what is it?
Essentially, it is a homage to the Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo 2, only with a carbon body structure, a 450bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 and a six-speed manual box. The car up for grabs was the first production vehicle out of a projected run of 100 cars. Estimated at between €700k and €900k, it sold for €1.31m.
This is an interesting result for restomods – we’ve previously seen individual builds struggle to reach their estimates, perhaps because such cars are personal to the commissioner; you wouldn’t pay a premium to wear someone else’s suit, after all. But could this be a turning point for restomods at auction, especially with several Porsche-based creations up for grabs in Monterey 2024?
We’d say not – unlike those cars, in the case of the HWA Evo offered for sale, it didn’t have any controversial or outrageous exterior paint or trim colours. It was also the very first production example and, unlike the Porsche-based models, it carries a much closer connection to the inspiration’s original maker. HWA’s chairman of the advisory board is Hans Werner Aufrecht, who co-founded AMG in 1967. HWA has also run Mercedes-Benz’s racing department since 2000, and developed the AMG Black road car models.
This 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss took home top result, selling for €3,436,250 against a €3.2m-€3.8m estimate. One of just 75 built for those who had already purchased a normal SLR, this particular example was first sold to Germany with a special-order finish of Crystal Antimon Grey, and had covered just 45km.
Other Mercedes-Benz highlights included a 2004 CLK63 AMG Black that sold for €172,500 against a €170k-€230k estimate and a 2004 SLR McLaren that sold for €291,875 against a €260k-€320k estimate.
RM offered two modern Bugattis, and both returned home without a new name on the logbook. The above Chiron Sport 110 Ans Bugatti was one of 20 built to celebrate the brand’s 110’s birthday, and was intended to be a celebration of the marque’s French identity, which amounted to the mirror caps carrying the French Tricolore and the underside of the rear wing being painted in the colours of the national flag. Estimated at between €3.3m and €3.8m, it is now available by private negotiation for €3.3m.
The other Bugatti, the unique Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Soleil de Nuit that was originally shown at the 2009 Dubai International Motor Show and delivered to the Kuwaiti royal family, also didn’t sell at a €1.5m-€2m estimate. It is now on offer for €1.6m. Other notable no sales included a 1934 Aston Martin Ulster, a 1966 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2, a 1949 Touring-bodied Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport and a 1994 Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI DTM racing car.
Ferraris had a so-so time at Tegernsee – of the seven offered, four sold, headed by the above 1966 275 GTB/6C. Chassis 08577 was originally sold by Garage Francorchamps to a Freddy Danman in Belgium. After two years it was exported to the US for Walter D Ward of Los Angeles, and painted metallic brown. He kept it until 1989, when it was exported to Switzerland for Ralf Ludwig.
Nine years later it was acquired by a Belgian collector, who had the car restored by Bacchelli & Villa of Italy and returned to the factory-correct shade of Amaranto. The mechanical side was refreshed by Autofficina Sauro, with Luppi supplying the trim items. It was awarded Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification in 2005; an updated certification was issued in July of this year, however. Estimated at €2.5m-€3m, it sold for €2,536,250.
Other Ferrari highlights included a 1973 Dino 246 GTS selling for €342,500 against an estimate of €300k-€400k, a 2008 430 Scuderia selling for €218,500 against an estimate of €190k-€240k and a 2014 458 Speciale selling for €443,750 against an estimate of €395k-€445k.
This 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé provided the most disappointing result of the sale. Offered for the first time since 1999, it was first sold to Monsieur Ravoux, the general manager for Clovis Frères, a transport company based in Oyonnax, eastern France, with a body from Carrosserie Jean Barou. It then went to the director of a driving school in Oyonnax; by the mid-1960s it was being stored in a disused dance hall in Lons-le-Saunier, alongside a collection of French cars.
It was sold to Swiss collector Jean Tua in either 1968 or 1969, and remained in his collection for nearly 30 years. Austrian collector Egon Zweimüller had the Talbot-Lago painted in silver-grey metallic after acquiring it auction in 1997. He sold the car in 1999 to the vendor, and it had done 2000km since 1997. Estimated at €1.4m-€1.6m, it sold for €961,250.
This 1957 BMW 503 Series I Convertible was a much better result for RM. One of 78 Series I convertibles built and one of 13 first delivered to the US, it had lived in California until 2017. Its first owner, Fred B Phillips, acquired the car from Hoffman Motors in New York and kept the car for 25 years, before selling it to Franz von Uckermann in 1982, who repainted it in red. In 2017 it was acquired by the vendor and imported to the Netherlands, and treated to a full restoration by Hoffes Restorations and EBS Engineering, finishing the car in BMW Fjord Blue. Against an estimate of €300k-€400k, it sold for €421,250.
This 1993 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 provided an interesting marker of where the market is for these rare variants of the 964. We’ve seen some major above-estimate results for the Turbo 3.6 this year, which wasn’t repeated here – it sold for €307,625 against an estimate of €275k and €375k.
Is the 964 Turbo 3.6 no longer the ‘in’ thing? We wouldn’t judge it from this sale – this particular car wore 175,696km, which while hardly moon mileage, is not the low-distance number collectors crave. Its Black Pearl over grey leather interior is not especially rare, either – the biggest results have come from single-digit specifications out of a 1500-strong build total. With Monterey’s auction offering a wider kaleidoscope of 964 Turbo 3.6 colours, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more interest in the breed there – and more paid.
Other Porsche highlights at Tegernsee included a 2006 Carrera GT, which sold for €1,000,625 against a €975k-€1.275m estimate, a 2019 935 that sold for €1.13m against a €1.1m-€1.5m estimate, and a 2022 Ruf SCR, which sold for €1,152,500 against a €1.1m-€1.6m estimate.
For more information on the Tegernsee sale at Concours of Elegance Germany, head here.
